The poignant meaning behind Camilla, Queen Consort's '£100K' sapphire brooch

Camilla's sapphire brooch, worn during an official engagement, is believed to be worth £100K. The brooch has a unique cut and poignant message and a 'cabochon' cut - a style you may never have heard of.

• Camilla, Queen Consort, sported the fetching piece during a recent public engagement in Scotland.
• According to experts, the piece is made up of cabochon sapphires, which have a special cut that's different from the norm.
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton reveals George, Charlotte, and Louis' unfiltered reaction to old photos of her with Prince William

His Majesty and Camilla visited Dunfermline in recognition of the former town officially becoming a city, much to the delight of Fife's royal fans. Camilla, Queen Consort paired sleek green and navy coat with leather accessories for a super glam appearance with King Charles III. For jewelry lovers, however, Camilla's sapphire brooch is what really set the look off.

Sapphires are considered the most important gemstones of the Royal Family and feature heavily in many of their jewelry boxes. Famous examples include Kate Middleton's engagement ring, which famously once belonged to Princess Diana, Princess Anne's two engagement rings, and many of Queen Elizabeth's brooches.

According to Maxwell Stone, one of the experts at Steven Stone jewelers, the stunning brooch features a 35-carat cabochon sapphire center stone, surrounded by four 10-carat cabochon sapphires. The stones are set in a square arrangement and set on yellow gold. He estimates the brooch to be worth approximately £100K.

"A cabochon cut on a sapphire shows the very distinctive raw beauty of the particular crystal," says Maxwell. "The look is incredibly unique and not like any other type of appearance in a gemstone."

The cut in question is one of the oldest styles for gemstones. According to The Raw Sapphire Company, "rather than faceting a gemstone, the stone is cut to have a smooth, glasslike polished surface. The most common cabochon cut is an oval with a rounded dome."

Despite the precise history and meaning behind Camilla's sapphire brooch being unknown at the time of writing this article, it's believed that the colors and setting are a beautiful tribute to Scotland. 

"Queen Elizabeth II was renowned for paying homage to the four nations of the UK through her brooches," explains Maxwell, "and Camilla's brooch looks like a historical piece, suggesting that it's likely to be linked to Scotland - a country which the late monarch had great affection for."